Filling out a 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket is one of the most exciting moments in sports, with chaos lurking around every corner. March Madness is known for its unpredictability and shocking Cinderella runs, with double-digit seeds reaching the Final Four and No. 16 seeds taking down No. 1 seeds in the first round. However, the top seeds are still the most likely 2025 NCAA Tournament picks to win the Big Dance, which puts Auburn, Duke, Houston and Florida at the top of the list this season. Last season, UConn broke a streak of 15 consecutive tournaments in which the top overall seed did not win the title, and Auburn will try to become the second straight No. 1 overall seed to win the championship this season.
The Tigers lost three of their last four games and showed several weaknesses down the stretch, but they also played in the best conference in the country. How far should you have Auburn advancing in your 2025 NCAA bracket? Before filling out your NCAA Tournament bracket 2025, be sure to see the 2025 March Madness bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine's proven projection model has simulated every game in the tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks recently, beating over 91% of all CBS Sports brackets in four of the past six tournaments. It was all over UConn's championship run a year ago and nailed 13 teams in the Sweet 16. It also nailed Alabama's Cinderella run to the Final Four as a 4-seed.
It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 24 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016.
There's no reason to rely on luck when there's proven technology to help you dominate your 2025 March Madness picks. Now, with the 2025 NCAA bracket revealed, the model is simulating the matchups and its results are in. You can only see it over at SportsLine.
Top 2025 March Madness bracket picks
One of the Midwest Region picks from the model: No. 2 seed Tennessee, despite losing to Kentucky twice this season, beats the Wildcats in the Sweet 16. The Vols finished fourth in the SEC behind Auburn, Florida and Alabama, but they beat all three of those teams at some point this season. They advanced to the second Elite Eight in school history last year, and transfer Chaz Lanier (17.7 ppg) has stepped up as the leading scorer this season.
He joins veteran guard Zakai Zeigler to spearhead a balanced offense to complement Tennessee's top-ranked defense. Meanwhile, Kentucky is playing without second-leading scorer Jaxson Robinson, who is out for the season due to a wrist injury. The Wildcats were hot from the perimeter in both regular-season meetings with Tennessee, but the model expects some regression if they meet for a third time.
Another surprise: No. 5 Clemson takes down No. 4 Purdue in the second round of the Midwest. The model projects both teams to avoid a first-round upset, which could lead to one of the best games of the opening weekend. Clemson is 15-2 over its last 17 games since Jan. 11, only losing to Georgia Tech in a wild triple-overtime contest and then to Louisville in the ACC Tournament semifinals. That span includes victories over Duke, a No. 1 seed, and North Carolina, who just had a dominant First Four victory, as this year's Clemson team appears capable of an extended March run.
The Tigers have the No. 23 scoring defense in the nation at 65.7 ppg allowed with the 17th-best average scoring margin (+10.7 points per game). Clemson has made incredible halftime defensive adjustments, allowing the sixth-fewest second-half points in the nation and adjusting on the fly in exactly what the opening four days of the NCAA Tournament are all about. Neither team will have extended time to deeply prepare for the other as a second game in three days and Clemson's ability to quickly adapt can make a key difference in knocking off Purdue. You can see the model's 2025 NCAA bracket picks here.
How to make 2025 NCAA bracket predictions
Who wins every tournament-defining matchup, and which teams will make surprising runs through the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket? With the model's track record of calling bracket-busting upsets, you'll want to see which stunners it's calling this year before locking in any 2025 NCAA bracket picks.
So what's the optimal NCAA Tournament 2025 bracket, and which NCAA Tournament Cinderella teams will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which region features three must-have upsets, including a play-in team that absolutely stuns its first-round opponent, all from the model that's beaten 91% of bracket players in four of the last six tournaments.